Savvy Swords will be playing for the World team in the Nike Hoop Summit Saturday. (FIBA Photo)
When opponents, teammates or even University of Kentucky coaches call Savvy Swords a “savage” she considers it a compliment.
The 6-foot-1 Kentucky signee is in Portland, Ore., for the Nike Hoop Summit where she will play for the World team in Saturday’s game at 7:30 p.m. ET that can be seen on both Peacock and NBCSN.
“I definitely take it as a compliment,” the Long Island Lutheran standout said about the savage description. “I love to be the most aggressive player on the court, and I feel like it helps me a lot. It gets me going in games.
“When maybe the offense isn’t there, you could always get scrappy, get loose balls and all that. So I definitely take it as a compliment and kind of attribute it to my toughness and work ethic.”
Swords said what Kentucky fans saw from her in the McDonald’s All-American Game and what they will see in the Nike Hoop Summit will be a bit different.
“It’s definitely a different setup at McDonald’s. You don’t really have a whole week like we do now to prepare and get to know everyone,” the UK signee said. “We have a great team where we can all play together. We don’t have anyone who’s very selfish.
“I feel like I always bring a strong work ethic and hustle, so I don’t really have to change in that sense. I feel like we’re gonna be able to play together, and it’s not really gonna be ball hog basketball. I feel like it’s gonna be the same thing at Kentucky because we have so much talent and no one’s selfish. We’re just gonna be feeding off each other, and I’m just always gonna bring my work ethic.”
Swords’ sister, Syla, a guard at Michigan, also played in the Nike Hoop Summit representing Canada. Savvy Swords said her sister told her to “have fun and enjoy the experience” with all her friends.
“She said a lot of people would want to be in my shoes, so just enjoy it. Bring hustle because it’s going to be different than any other game you’re going to play in so have fun,” Savvy Swords said. “Then going into college, the same thing. Just do whatever the team needs. Just work hard and enjoy it because at the end of the day, that’s why we play. I think that’s good advice from her.”
